Monitoring system control technology using multiple sensors, cameras, lighting devices, and a thermostat

ABSTRACT

Techniques are described for providing control of a monitoring system (e.g., a home alarm or security system) using one or more mobile devices. In some implementations, a native mobile device application enables use of a mobile device as a security/automation system keypad and controller for a home security system. In these implementations, the mobile device, using the native mobile device application, checks real time status of system and sensors, arms/disarms system, turns lights on/off, looks in on live video of security cameras, reviews history of system events, reviews saved video clips, monitors/changes thermostat settings, and performs other features of a traditional security keypad in a home security system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/449,543, filed Jun. 24, 2019, now allowed, which is a continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 16/145,892, filed Sep. 28, 2018, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/405,556, filed Jan. 13,2017, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/665,277,filed Mar. 23, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.No. 13/735,193, filed Jan. 7, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 12/782,633, filed May 18, 2010, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/179,215, filed May 18,2009, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entiretyfor all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to monitoring system control technology.

BACKGROUND

Many people equip homes and businesses with alarm systems to provideincreased security for their homes and businesses. Alarm systems mayinclude control panels that a person may use to control operation of thealarm system and sensors that monitor for security breaches. In responseto an alarm system detecting a security breach, the alarm system maygenerate an audible alert and, if the alarm system is monitored by amonitoring service, the alarm system may send electronic data to themonitoring service to alert the monitoring service of the securitybreach.

SUMMARY

Techniques are described for monitoring system control technology.

Implementations of the described techniques may include hardware, amethod or process implemented at least partially in hardware, or acomputer-readable storage medium encoded with executable instructionsthat, when executed by a processor, perform operations.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will beapparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example system.

FIGS. 2, 4, 6, and 9 are flow charts illustrating example processes.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of using a native mobile device monitoringapplication to control a monitoring system.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of leveraging functionality of a mobiledevice in performing an operation related to a detected event.

FIGS. 7, 8A, and 8B illustrate examples of performing an operationrelated to tracked characteristics of a mobile device that operates anative mobile device monitoring application.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resolving conflicts between multiple,different native mobile device monitoring applications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Techniques are described for providing control of a monitoring system(e.g., a home alarm or security system) using one or more mobiledevices. In some implementations, a native mobile device applicationenables use of a mobile device as a security/automation system keypadand controller for a home security system. In these implementations, themobile device, using the native mobile device application, checks realtime status of system and sensors, arms/disarms system, turns lightson/off, looks in on live video of security cameras, reviews history ofsystem events, reviews saved video clips, monitors/changes thermostatsettings, and performs other features of a traditional security keypadin a home security system.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an electronic system 100 configured toprovide control of a monitoring system using one or more mobile devices.The electronic system 100 includes a network 105, a monitoring systemcontrol unit 110, one or more mobile devices 140, 150, a monitoringapplication server 160, and a central alarm station server 170. In someexamples, the network 105 facilitates communications between themonitoring system control unit 110, the one or more mobile devices 140,150, the monitoring application server 160, and the central alarmstation server 170.

The network 105 is configured to enable exchange of electroniccommunications between devices connected to the network 105. Forexample, the network 105 may be configured to enable exchange ofelectronic communications between the monitoring system control unit110, the one or more mobile devices 140, 150, the monitoring applicationserver 160, and the central alarm station server 170. The network 105may include, for example, one or more of the Internet, Wide AreaNetworks (WANs), Local Area Networks (LANs), analog or digital wired andwireless telephone networks (e.g., a public switched telephone network(PSTN), Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), a cellular network,and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), radio, television, cable, satellite,or any other delivery or tunneling mechanism for carrying data. Network105 may include multiple networks or subnetworks, each of which mayinclude, for example, a wired or wireless data pathway. The network 105may include a circuit-switched network, a packet-switched data network,or any other network able to carry electronic communications (e.g., dataor voice communications). For example, the network 105 may includenetworks based on the Internet protocol (IP), asynchronous transfer mode(ATM), the PSTN, packet-switched networks based on IP, X.25, or FrameRelay, or other comparable technologies and may support voice using, forexample, VoIP, or other comparable protocols used for voicecommunications. The network 105 may include one or more networks thatinclude wireless data channels and wireless voice channels. The network105 may be a wireless network, a broadband network, or a combination ofnetworks including a wireless network and a broadband network.

The monitoring system control unit 110 includes a controller 112 and anetwork module 114. The controller 112 is configured to control amonitoring system (e.g., a home alarm or security system) that includesthe monitoring system control unit 110. In some examples, the controller112 may include a processor or other control circuitry configured toexecute instructions of a program that controls operation of an alarmsystem. In these examples, the controller 112 may be configured toreceive input from sensors, detectors, or other devices included in thealarm system and control operations of devices included in the alarmsystem or other household devices (e.g., a thermostat, an appliance,lights, etc.). For example, the controller 112 may be configured tocontrol operation of the network module 114 included in the monitoringsystem control unit 110.

The network module 114 is a communication device configured to exchangecommunications over the network 105. The network module 114 may be awireless communication module configured to exchange wirelesscommunications over the network 105. For example, the network module 114may be a wireless communication device configured to exchangecommunications over a wireless data channel and a wireless voicechannel. In this example, the network module 114 may transmit alarm dataover a wireless data channel and establish a two-way voice communicationsession over a wireless voice channel. The wireless communication devicemay include one or more of a GSM module, a radio modem, cellulartransmission module, or any type of module configured to exchangecommunications in one of the following formats: GSM or GPRS, CDMA, EDGEor EGPRS, EV-DO or EVDO, UMTS, or IP.

The network module 114 also may be a wired communication moduleconfigured to exchange communications over the network 105 using a wiredconnection. For instance, the network module 114 may be a modem, anetwork interface card, or another type of network interface device. Thenetwork module 114 may be an Ethernet network card configured to enablethe monitoring system control unit 110 to communicate over a local areanetwork and/or the Internet. The network module 114 also may be avoiceband modem configured to enable the alarm panel to communicate overthe telephone lines of Plain Old Telephone Systems (POTS).

The monitoring system that includes the monitoring system control unit110 includes one or more sensors or detectors. For example, an alarmsystem may include multiple sensors 120 and 122. The sensors 120 and 122may include a contact sensor, a motion sensor, a glass break sensor, orany other type of sensor included in an alarm system or security system.The sensors 120 and 122 also may include an environmental sensor, suchas a temperature sensor, a water sensor, a rain sensor, a wind sensor, alight sensor, a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, an airquality sensor, etc. The sensors 120 and 122 further may include ahealth monitoring sensor, such as a prescription bottle sensor thatmonitors taking of prescriptions, a blood pressure sensor, a blood sugarsensor, a bed mat configured to sense presence of liquid (e.g., bodilyfluids) on the bed mat, etc. In some examples, the sensors 120 and 122may include a radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensor thatidentifies a particular article that includes a pre-assigned RFID tag.In addition, the sensors 120 and 122 may include a video/photographiccamera or other type of optical sensing device configured to captureimages and may include an energy consumption sensor for appliances anddevices in a property monitored by the monitoring system.

The sensors 120 and 122 communicate with the controller 112 overcommunication links 124 and 126. The communication links 124 and 126 maybe a wired or wireless data pathway configured to transmit signals fromthe sensors 120 and 122 to the controller 112. The sensors 120 and 122may continuously transmit sensed values to the controller 112,periodically transmit sensed values to the controller 112, or transmitsensed values to the controller 112 in response to a change in a sensedvalue.

The controller 112 may receive signals from the sensors 120 and 122 anddetect an alarm event based on the sensed values. For example, thesensor 120 may be a contact sensor provided on a door to a residence andthe communication link 124 may be a wireless connection between thesensor 120 and the controller 112. In this example, the sensor 120 maysense that the door has been opened (e.g., absence of a connectionbetween contacts included as part of the sensor) and wirelessly transmitdata over communication link 124 to the controller 112 indicating thatthe door has been opened. The controller 112 receives the data from thesensor 120 over the communication link 124 and determines that an alarmevent (e.g., the door opened) has occurred based on the signal from thesensor 120. The controller 112 controls operation of the alarm systembased on the determination that the alarm event has occurred.

The monitoring system also includes a speaker 130. The speaker 130 mayinclude an electromechanical transducer that converts an electricalsignal into sound. The speaker 130 may receive an electrical signal fromthe controller 112 and produce an audible output based on the electricalsignal. For example, the controller 112, in response to detecting analarm event, may send a signal to the speaker 130 to cause the speakerto produce an audible alarm sound. The speaker 130 also may output audiomessages (e.g., audio advertisements, broadcast audio alerts, etc.). Inanother example, the controller 112 may send a signal representative ofa voice communication to the speaker 130 to cause the speaker to producean audible output of the voice communication.

The monitoring system also includes a display 132. The display 132 maybe any type of electronic display configured to render a visuallyperceivable display of information (e.g., an LCD display, a plasmadisplay, a television, a computer monitor, a digital picture frame, adisplay integrated into an appliance, a display included in a portabledevice of a user, a mirror, a projection display device, etc.). Thedisplay 132 may be integrated in the monitoring system control unit 110(e.g., control panel) or may be separate from the monitoring systemcontrol unit 110 (e.g., a separate display provided as part of thesecurity system or a television, a computer monitor, etc. that is notpart of the security system, but a device with which the security systemmay communicate). The display 132 may be used to depict the currentstate of the monitoring system. For example, an LCD display may displaywords like “System Disarmed 6:42 pm”, or “Enter User Code to Disarm”, or“Front Door Opened”. The display 132 also may be used to displayelectronic content, such as advertisement content, news content, weathercontent, and entertainment content.

The monitoring system control unit 110 communicates with the speaker 130and the display 132 over communication links 134 and 136. Thecommunication links 134 and 136 may be similar to the communicationlinks 124 and 126 described above.

The monitoring application server 160 is an electronic device configuredto provide monitoring services by exchanging electronic communicationswith the monitoring system control unit 110, the one or more mobiledevices 140, 150, and the central alarm station server 170 over thenetwork 105. For example, the monitoring application server 160 may beconfigured to monitor alarm events generated by the monitoring systemcontrol unit 110. In this example, the monitoring application server 160may exchange electronic communications with the network module 114included in the monitoring system control unit 110 to receiveinformation regarding alarm events detected by the monitoring systemcontrol unit 110. Additionally or alternatively, the monitoringapplication server 160 may receive information regarding alarm eventsfrom the one or more mobile devices 140, 150.

In some examples, the monitoring application server 160 may route alarmdata received from the network module 114 or the one or more mobiledevices 140, 150 to the central alarm station server 170. For example,the monitoring application server 160 may transmit the alarm data to thecentral alarm station server 170 over the network 105.

The monitoring application server 160 may store sensor data receivedfrom the monitoring system and perform analysis of sensor data receivedfrom the monitoring system. Based on the analysis, the monitoringapplication server 160 may communicate with and control aspects of themonitoring system control unit 110 or the one or more mobile devices140, 150.

The central alarm station server 170 is an electronic device configuredto provide alarm monitoring service by exchanging communications withthe monitoring system control unit 110, the one or more mobile devices140, 150, and the monitoring application server 160 over the network105. For example, the central alarm station server 170 may be configuredto monitor alarm events generated by the monitoring system control unit110. In this example, the central alarm station server 170 may exchangecommunications with the network module 114 included in the monitoringsystem control unit 110 to receive information regarding alarm eventsdetected by the monitoring system control unit 110. The central alarmstation server 170 also may receive information regarding alarm eventsfrom the one or more mobile devices 140, 150.

The central alarm station server 170 is connected to multiple terminals172 and 174. The terminals 172 and 174 may be used by operators toprocess alarm events. For example, the central alarm station server 170may route alarm data to the terminals 172 and 174 to enable an operatorto process the alarm data. The terminals 172 and 174 may includegeneral-purpose computers (e.g., desktop personal computers,workstations, or laptop computers) that are configured to receive alarmdata from a server in the central alarm station server 170 and render adisplay of information based on the alarm data. For example, in theexample described above, the controller 112 may control the networkmodule 114 to transmit, to the central alarm station server 170, alarmdata indicating that the sensor 120 detected the door opening. Thecentral alarm station server 170 may receive the alarm data and routethe alarm data to the terminal 172 for processing by an operatorassociated with the terminal 172. The terminal 172 may render a displayto the operator that includes information associated with the alarmevent (e.g., the name of the user of the alarm system, the address ofthe building the alarm system is monitoring, the type of alarm event,etc.) and the operator may handle the alarm event based on the displayedinformation.

In some implementations, the terminals 172 and 174 may be mobile devicesor devices designed for a specific function. Although FIG. 1 illustratestwo terminals for brevity, actual implementations may include more (and,perhaps, many more) terminals.

The one or more mobile devices 140, 150 are devices that host anddisplay user interfaces and that host one or more native applications(e.g., the native monitoring application 142, 152). The one or moremobile devices 140, 150 may be cellular phones or non-cellular locallynetworked devices with displays. The one or more mobile devices 140, 150may include a cell phone, a smart phone, a tablet PC, a personal digitalassistant (“PDA”), or any other portable device configured tocommunicate over a network and display information. For example,implementations may also include Blackberry-type devices (e.g., asprovided by Research in Motion), electronic organizers, iPhone-typedevices (e.g., as provided by Apple), iPod devices (e.g., as provided byApple) or other portable music players, other communication devices, andhandheld or portable electronic devices for gaming, communications,and/or data organization. The one or more mobile devices 140, 150 may bethe same or may include mobile devices of different types. The one ormore mobile devices 140, 150 may perform functions unrelated to themonitoring system, such as placing personal telephone calls, playingmusic, playing video, displaying pictures, browsing the Internet,maintaining an electronic calendar, etc.

The one or more mobile devices 140, 150 communicate with and receivemonitoring system data from the monitoring system control unit 110 usingthe communication link 138. For instance, the one or more mobile devices140, 150 may communicate with the monitoring system control unit 110using various local wireless protocols such as wifi, Bluetooth, zwave,zigbee, HomePlug (ethernet over powerline), or wired protocols such asEthernet and USB, to connect the one or more mobile devices 140, 150 tolocal security and automation equipment. The one or more mobile devices140, 150 may connect locally to the monitoring system and its sensorsand other devices. The local connection may improve the speed of statusand control communications because communicating through the network 105with a remote server (e.g., the monitoring application server 160) maybe significantly slower.

Although the one or more mobile devices 140, 150 are shown ascommunicating with the monitoring system control unit 110, the one ormore mobile devices 140, 150 may communicate directly with the sensorsand other devices controlled by the monitoring system control unit 110.In some implementations, the one or more mobile devices 140, 150 replacethe monitoring system control unit 110 (e.g., the mainsecurity/automation control panel) and perform the functions of themonitoring system control unit 110 for local monitoring and longrange/offsite communication.

In other implementations, the one or more mobile devices 140, 150receive monitoring system data captured by the monitoring system controlunit 110 through the network 105. The one or more mobile devices 140,150 may receive the data from the monitoring system control unit 110through the network 105 or the monitoring application server 160 mayrelay data received from the monitoring system control unit 110 to theone or more mobile devices 140, 150 through the network 105. In thisregard, the monitoring application server 160 may facilitatecommunication between the one or more mobile devices 140, 150 and themonitoring system.

Although the one or more mobile devices 140, 150 are shown as beingconnected to the network 105, in some implementations, the one or moremobile devices 140, 150 are not connected to the network 105. In theseimplementations, the one or more mobile devices 140, 150 communicatedirectly with one or more of the monitoring system components and nonetwork (e.g., Internet) connection or reliance on remote servers isneeded.

The one or more mobile devices 140, 150 each include a native monitoringapplication 142, 152, respectively. The native monitoring application142, 152 refers to a software/firmware program running on thecorresponding mobile device that enables the user interface and featuresdescribe below. The one or more mobile devices 140, 150 may load orinstall the native monitoring application 142, 152 based on datareceived over a network or data received from local media. The nativemonitoring application 142, 152 runs on mobile devices platforms, suchas iPhone, iPod touch, Blackberry, Google Android, Windows Mobile, etc.

The native monitoring application 142, 152 provides an alternative toproprietary, expensive, inflexible and/or difficult to usesecurity/automation system keypads and controllers. The nativemonitoring application 142, 152 enables use of the one or more mobilesdevices 140, 150 as security/automation system keypads and controllersfor the monitoring system by generating and displaying graphical userinterfaces on the one or more mobiles devices 140, 150 that displaystatus of the monitoring system and enable user control of themonitoring system. Because the one or more mobiles devices 140, 150 areportable, the native monitoring application 142, 152 allows users tocarry a security/automation system keypad around the house, wall-mountit, table-mount it on a bedstand or coffee table; waterproof-mount it ina shower/bath, and otherwise use the security/automation system keypadanywhere the user chooses.

The native monitoring application 142, 152 may be used to check realtime status of system and sensors. For instance, the native monitoringapplication 142, 152 may display status information in response to userinput.

The native monitoring application 142, 152 also may provide alerts basedon monitoring system data. For example, the native monitoringapplication 142, 152 may cause the mobile device to produce an audiblealert and/or vibrate when the monitoring system detects a door or windowbeing opened.

The native monitoring application 142, 152 may be used to arm/disarmsystem. For example, the native monitoring application 142, 152 enablesa user to provide a passcode to the mobile device 140, 150 and therebyarm/disarm the system from any room of the house, from close by areas,and, in some examples, from remote locations. The native monitoringapplication 142, 152 further may be used to turn lights on/off and viewand change thermostat settings by displaying controls with which a usermay interact to control devices connected to the monitoring system.

In some implementations, the native monitoring application 142, 152 maybe used to view live video on the mobile device 140, 150. For instance,the native monitoring application 142, 152 may show footage recorded bya front door camera from an upstairs bedroom, display video of infantcrib when in a master bedroom down the hall, and display video ofchildren in a playroom while working in a home office. The nativemonitoring application 142, 152 may be used to review a history ofsystem events, review saved video clips, and provide other standardfeatures of a traditional security keypad. Because the native monitoringapplication 142, 152 is installed on a mobile device of a user'sselection, the native monitoring application 142, 152 may provideenhanced convenience and enable a user to more easily interact andleverage the user's monitoring system.

In some examples, the native monitoring application 142, 152 mayleverage other features of the one or more mobile devices 140, 150 inproviding monitoring services. For example, when a mobile device is ableto communicate over the network 105, the native monitoring application142, 152 may send communications to the monitoring application server160 and/or the central alarm station server 170 in response to an alarmevent (e.g., a security breach). In this example, the native monitoringapplication 142, 152 may control the mobile device to send alarm dataover an Internet connection included in the mobile device and/or maycontrol the mobile device to place a cellular telephone call to thecentral alarm station server 170 to establish a two-way voicecommunication. In other examples, the native monitoring application 142,152 may leverage a contact list or electronic calendar application ofthe mobile device to provide alerts related to monitoring system events.In further examples, when the mobile device includes a camera, thenative monitoring application 142, 152 may transmit images captured bythe camera during a security breach (e.g., images of an intruder) to themonitoring system, the monitoring application server 160 and/or thecentral alarm station server 170.

In some implementations, the native monitoring application 142, 152 mayinclude security features to assist in situations when a mobile deviceis not functioning or becomes compromised. For instance, the nativemonitoring application 142, 152 may periodically communicate its stateto the monitoring application server 160 or the monitoring systemcontrol unit 110. Accordingly, when a mobile device malfunctions (e.g.,runs out of battery, is broken, etc.), the monitoring application server160 or the monitoring system control unit 110 is able to detect themalfunction and provide output (an electronic message, an audible and/orvisual alert, etc.) alerting a user of the malfunction.

The native monitoring application 142, 152 also may implement apermission system that provides a different level of control fordifferent users. For instance, parent users may have full control of themonitoring system and a child user may have limited control (e.g., thechild user may be able to arm/disarm the system, but may not be able tomodify alerts provided in response to alarm events.) The permissionsystem may be implemented based on user-specific passcodes or particularmobile devices may be assigned to particular users.

In implementations in which multiple mobile devices are included in thesystem 100, the native monitoring application 142, 152 may include rulesthat govern input from which of the multiple devices controls whenconflicting input is received. For instance, when a parent user isattempting to perform a first action and a child user is attempting toperform a second, different action that conflicts with the first action,the rules of the native monitoring application 142, 152 (or monitoringsystem in general) may perform only the first action because the parentuser has higher priority than the child user.

The one or more mobile devices 140, 150 may be associated with one ormore docking stations 144,154. The number of mobile devices may equalthe number of docking stations or the number of mobile devices maydifferent (more or fewer) than the number of docking stations. The oneor more docking stations 144,154 may provide a power connection forcharging of a battery of the one or more mobile devices 140, 150. Theone or more docking stations 144,154 also may provide a convenient,known location in a home to store the one or more mobile devices 140,150 and further may provide enhanced communication features for the oneor more mobile devices 140, 150 when docked (e.g., the one or moredocking stations 144,154 may provide the one or more mobile devices 140,150 with a connection to the network 105 when the one or more mobiledevices 140, 150 otherwise cannot connect to the network).

In some implementations, the one or more docking stations 144,154 maytrack certain characteristics of the one or more mobile devices 140, 150and provide alerts based on the tracking. For instance, the one or moredocking stations 144,154 may track times when the one or more mobiledevices 140, 150 are docked and, therefore, charging. When the one ormore docking stations 144,154 detect that a particular mobile device hasnot been connected to a docking station for a threshold period of time(e.g., a time that correspond to battery life of the particular mobiledevice), the one or more docking stations 144,154 may provide output (anelectronic message, an audible and/or visual alert, etc.) alerting auser or the monitoring application server 160 that the particular mobiledevice needs to be charged. The user or the monitoring applicationserver 160 may take appropriate action in response to the output.

In addition, the one or more docking stations 144,154 may track alocation of the one or more mobile devices 140, 150. When the one ormore docking stations 144,154 detect that a particular mobile device hasmoved to more than a threshold distance from a home being monitored bythe monitoring system (e.g., more than a one hundred yards from thehome), the one or more docking stations 144,154 may provide output (anelectronic message, an audible and/or visual alert, etc.) alerting auser or the monitoring application server 160 that the particular mobiledevice is outside of a preferred range. The user or the monitoringapplication server 160 may take appropriate action in response to theoutput.

In some implementations, the one or more mobile devices 140, 150 areused in conjunction with local sensors in a house as an “awarenesssystem.” The awareness system is different than a “security system” inthat the awareness system is not able contact a central station to callthe fire department or the police in response to an alarm event. In the“awareness system” implementation, the system 100 only includes the oneor more mobile devices 140, 150 and the sensors 120, 122. The one ormore mobile devices 140, 150 receive sensor data directly from thesensors and provide the appropriate interfaces/processing to generatealarm events, modify settings, etc.

In another “awareness system” implementation, the system 100 furtherincludes network 105 and the sensors 120, 122 are configured tocommunicate sensor data to the one or more mobile devices 140, 150 overnetwork 105 (e.g., the Internet, cellular network, etc.). In yet anotherimplementation, the sensors 120, 122 (or a component, such as abridge/router) are intelligent enough to change the communicationpathway from a direct local pathway when the one or more mobile devices140, 150 are in close physical proximity to the sensors 120, 122 to apathway over network 105 when the one or more mobile devices 140, 150are farther from the sensors 120, 122. In some examples, the systemleverages GPS information from the one or more mobile devices 140, 150to determine whether the one or more mobile devices 140, 150 are closeenough to the sensors 120, 122 to use the direct local pathway orwhether the one or more mobile devices 140, 150 are far enough from thesensors 120, 122 that the pathway over network 105 is required. In otherexamples, the system leverages status communications (e.g., pinging)between the one or more mobile devices 140, 150 and the sensors 120, 122to determine whether communication using the direct local pathway ispossible. If communication using the direct local pathway is possible,the one or more mobile devices 140, 150 communicate with the sensors120, 122 using the direct local pathway. If communication using thedirect local pathway is not possible, the one or more mobile devices140, 150 communicate with the sensors 120, 122 using the pathway overnetwork 105.

FIGS. 2, 4, 6, and 9 illustrate example processes. The operations of theexample processes are described generally as being performed by thesystem 100. The operations of the example processes may be performed byone of the components of the system 100 (e.g., the monitoringapplication server 160) or may be performed by any combination of thecomponents of the system 100. In some implementations, operations of theexample processes may be performed by one or more processors included inone or more electronic devices.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example process 200 for using a native mobiledevice monitoring application to control a monitoring system. The system100 performs a synchronization process to synchronize a native mobiledevice monitoring application with a monitoring system for a property(210). For instance, after the native mobile device monitoringapplication is loaded (e.g., downloaded) to a mobile device, the system100 synchronizes the native mobile device monitoring application with amonitoring system for a property. The synchronization allows the nativemobile device monitoring application to receive events detected bysensors in the appropriate monitoring system and send control commandsto control operations related to the appropriate monitoring system.

In some examples, the monitoring system may include one or more localcomponents at the property that are configured to communicate directlywith the native mobile device monitoring application. In these examples,the one or more local components may include a control panel (e.g., asecurity system control panel) that is configured to communicatedirectly with the native mobile device monitoring application and/orsensors that are configured to communicate directly with the nativemobile device monitoring application. The native mobile devicemonitoring application may communicate directly with the one or morelocal monitoring system components at the property using a short rangewireless communication protocol, such as Bluetooth, Z-Wave, ZigBee,Wi-Fi, etc.

In examples in which the native mobile device monitoring applicationcommunicates directly with one or more local monitoring systemcomponents at the property, the system 100 may synchronize, over a shortrange wireless communication protocol, with the one or more localcomponents of the monitoring system located at the property. Thesynchronization may include a registration or pairing process, whichenables the mobile device operating the native mobile device monitoringapplication to exchange data communications descriptive of sensor eventsdetected by the monitoring system at the property directly with the oneor more local components of the monitoring system located at theproperty over the short range wireless communication protocol. Forinstance, the mobile device operating the native mobile devicemonitoring application may receive sensor data directly from sensorslocated at the property or may receive sensor data directly from acontrol panel that is located at the property and that receives sensordata directly from sensors located at the property.

In some implementations, the monitoring system may include a monitoringapplication server that is located remote from the property and that isconfigured to receive, over a network, data communications descriptiveof sensor events detected by the one or more sensors included in themonitoring system. In these implementations, the monitoring applicationserver provides enhanced monitoring and notification services for thelocal monitoring system, and may service many different local monitoringsystems (e.g., many different local security systems that each monitorsa property). The native mobile device monitoring application maycommunicate with the monitoring application server over a network.

In implementations in which the native mobile device monitoringapplication communicates with a remote monitoring application serverover a network, the synchronization process may involve the nativemobile device monitoring application coordinating with the monitoringapplication server to synchronize with the monitoring system. Forinstance, the native mobile device monitoring application may sendauthentication information (e.g., inputted username and password) to themonitoring application server to authenticate the native mobile devicemonitoring application to the monitoring application server. Onceauthenticated, the monitoring application server may handle thesynchronization process, which enables the native mobile devicemonitoring application to receive sensor event data detected by themonitoring system and send control commands to cause control of themonitoring system.

In some examples, the monitoring application server may coordinate thesynchronization process by sending communication information (e.g.,protocol and/or permission information) to the native mobile devicemonitoring application and/or one or more local components of themonitoring system at the property. In these examples, the communicationinformation may enable direct communication between the native mobiledevice monitoring application and the one or more local components ofthe monitoring system at the property. For instance, the monitoringapplication server may provide the native mobile device monitoringapplication with a pass code for the one or more local monitoring systemcomponents associated with the user authenticated to the monitoringapplication server. The native mobile device monitoring application mayuse the pass code to enable direct communication with the one or morelocal monitoring system components over a short range wirelesscommunication protocol.

In some implementations, the monitoring application server maycoordinate the synchronization process by synchronizing, over a network,with the native mobile device monitoring application. In theseimplementations, the mobile device operating the native mobile devicemonitoring application exchanges, with the monitoring application serverover the network, data communications descriptive of sensor eventsdetected by the monitoring system at the property. For instance, when asensor detects an event at the property, the detected event is sentfirst to the monitoring application server. Then, the monitoringapplication server identifies the native mobile device monitoringapplication as being synchronized with the monitoring system thatdetected the event and, based on the identification, forwardsinformation describing the detected sensor event to the native mobiledevice monitoring application. The monitoring application server alsomay receive control commands from the native mobile device monitoringapplication and relay the control commands to the local monitoringsystem synchronized with the native mobile device monitoringapplication.

In some examples, the native mobile device monitoring application maysynchronize with both a remote monitoring application server and one ormore local monitoring system components at a property. In theseexamples, the native mobile device monitoring application maycommunicate directly with the one or more local monitoring systemcomponents when the mobile device operating the native mobile devicemonitoring application is located relatively close to the one or morelocal monitoring system components (e.g., within the property). Thenative mobile device monitoring application may communicate indirectlywith the one or more local monitoring system components through themonitoring application server when the mobile device operating thenative mobile device monitoring application is located relatively farfrom the one or more local monitoring system components (e.g., outsidethe property more than a threshold distance away).

The system 100 receives one or more data communications descriptive ofsensor events detected by the monitoring system at the property (220).For example, depending on the synchronization process, the native mobiledevice monitoring application receives the data communicationsdescriptive of sensor events directly from sensors located at theproperty, directly from a control panel located at the property, or froma remote monitoring application server that receives data communicationsfrom a local monitoring system component located at the property andrelays sensor event data to the native mobile device monitoringapplication.

The received one or more data communications descriptive of sensorevents may indicate that the monitoring system has detected a potentialalarm event at the property. The received one or more datacommunications descriptive of sensor events also may indicate a statusof an appliance, a potential notification event, or any type ofattribute that the monitoring system is able to sense.

The system 100 causes display of a status interface area that includesstatus information related to the monitoring system based on thereceived data communications (230). For instance, the system 100 maydisplay a status of one or more sensed attributes or may display analert related to a detected alarm event or notification event. Thestatus interface area may display information indicating whether asecurity system is armed or disarmed, whether doors and/or windows atthe property are open or closed, and whether motion has been detectedwithin the property. The status interface area also may display a statusof a device or appliance at the property (e.g., a thermostat setting anda temperature measurement) or image data (e.g., live video) captured byan image sensor located at the property.

In some examples, the system 100 may automatically, without humanintervention, interrupt another application (e.g., a media application)operating on the mobile device at a time of receipt of the one or moredata communications to display status information. The interruptedapplication may be separate from the native mobile device monitoringapplication and unrelated to the monitoring system. In these examples,after interrupting the application, the system 100 may automatically,without human intervention, cause display of status information (e.g., adetected alarm event or notification event) detected by the monitoringsystem at the property. For instance, the system 100 may interruptanother application and display an alert that includes a description ofa potential alarm event at the property detected by the monitoringsystem. The alert (or other displayed status information) may replace atleast a portion of a display (e.g., media content) being output by theinterrupted application at a time of receipt of the one or more datacommunications. The system 100 may automatically, without humanintervention, resume the interrupted application after the alert hasbeen handled.

The system 100 causes display of a control interface area that enables auser to provide input to control the monitoring system (240). Forinstance, the system 100 may display one or more input buttons thatallow a user to provide input to control functionality of the monitoringsystem. The control interface area may display controls that enable auser to arm or disarm a security system at a property, changenotification settings for sensor events, change a thermostat setting atthe property, control a lighting device at the property, or perform anyother control operation that may be performed with respect to themonitoring system. The control interface area may be displayed when thenative mobile device monitoring application initiates or may bedisplayed in response to user input provided to the native mobile devicemonitoring application. The control interface area also may be displayedconcurrently with or after display of the status information displayedby the native mobile device monitoring application. For instance, thecontrol interface area may be displayed concurrently with an alert thatindicates a potential alarm event and that includes an input controlthat corresponds to an alarm control operation that causes themonitoring system to perform an operation related to the potential alarmevent (e.g., arm a security system or trigger an alarm event).

The system 100 receives user input defining a control operation for themonitoring system based on the control interface area (250). Forexample, the system 100 receives user input interacting with any of thecontrols displayed in the control interface area. In this example, thereceived user input may indicate a desire to arm or disarm a securitysystem at a property, change notification settings for sensor events,change a thermostat setting at the property, control a lighting deviceat the property, or perform any other control operation that may beperformed with respect to the monitoring system. The system 100 mayreceive user input activating an input control displayed by the nativemobile device monitoring application.

The system 100 sends one or more control communications that cause themonitoring system to perform the control operation based on the receiveduser input (260). For example, depending on the synchronization process,the native mobile device monitoring application sends the controlcommunications directly to a local monitoring system component locatedat the property (e.g., directly to a control panel, sensor, orthermostat at the property), or to a remote monitoring applicationserver that relays the control communications to a local monitoringsystem component located at the property.

The sent one or more control communications may cause the system 100 toarm or disarm a security system at a property, change notificationsettings for sensor events, change a thermostat setting at the property,control a lighting device at the property, or perform any other controloperation that may be performed with respect to the monitoring system.For instance, the native mobile device monitoring application may sendone or more control communications that cause the monitoring system toperform an alarm control operation defined by user input received afterinterrupting another application and displaying a potential alarm event.In this example, the system 100 may automatically, without humanintervention, resume, on the mobile device, operation of the interruptedapplication after receiving user input activating an input control thatcorresponds to the alarm control operation.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of using a native mobile device monitoringapplication to control a monitoring system. As shown, a property 305 ismonitored by a monitoring system (e.g., a security system) that includesa security control panel 330 and a motion sensor 340 that senses motionof an area outside a front door of the property 305. The securitycontrol panel 330 may display status information for the monitoringsystem and may include one or more input controls that enable control ofthe monitoring system. The motion sensor 340 may be an image sensor thatdetects motion by capturing a series of images of the area outside thefront door of the property 305 and analyzing the series of images fordifferences. The monitoring system has been described as including onlythe security control panel 330 and the motion sensor 340 for brevity,but may include many more sensors and features.

In this example, a user 310 is located within the property 305 and isusing a mobile device 320. The mobile device 320 may be a potable musicdevice or a smart phone. The user 310 has controlled the mobile device320 to load a native mobile device monitoring application and hassynchronized the native mobile device monitoring application with themonitoring system of the property 305. Based on the synchronization, themobile device 320 is able to use the native mobile device monitoringapplication to exchange communications with the security control panel330 over a short range wireless communication protocol.

At a first time 300A in the example shown in FIG. 3, the user 310 isusing the mobile device 320 to operate a music application that outputsmusic through headphones being worn by the user 310. While the mobiledevice 320 is operating the music application and the user 310 islistening to music, the motion sensor 340 detects motion of a potentialintruder 350 within the area outside the front door of the property 305.Based on the detected motion, the motion sensor 340 sends a signal tothe security control panel 330 and the security control panel 330determines that the motion sensor 340 has been triggered based on thesignal. The security control panel 330 also determines that themonitoring system is presently in a disarmed state in which alarm eventsare not sent to a central monitoring station for processing.

Based on the determination that the motion sensor 340 has been triggeredand the determination that the monitoring system is presently in thedisarmed state, the security control panel 330 sends alarm data to themobile device 320 over the short range wireless communication protocol.The alarm data indicates that a potential alarm event has been detectedand includes details related to the potential alarm event. In thisexample, the details indicate that the motion sensor 340 has beentriggered at a time when the monitoring system is in the disarmed state.

The mobile device 320 receives the alarm data while operating the musicapplication. In the background while the music application continues tooperate and output music, the native mobile device monitoringapplication processes the alarm data to determine whether any action isneeded based on the alarm data. In this example, based on the processingof the alarm data, the native mobile device monitoring applicationdetermines that the music application should be interrupted and that analert describing the potential alarm event should be provided to theuser 310 using the mobile device 320.

At a second time 300B in the example shown in FIG. 3, the native mobiledevice monitoring application implements the action determined based onprocessing of the alarm data. Specifically, the native mobile devicemonitoring application causes the music application to be interrupted,which at least temporarily stops it from outputting music. The musicapplication may be paused at the time of interruption and moved to abackground process that may be resumed at a later time. The nativemobile device monitoring application also outputs an audible alertthrough the headphones and displays a visual alert to indicate thepotential alarm event to the user 310. The audible alert may be a voicecommand that indicates a security alert has been detected and directsattention of the user 310 to the display of the mobile device 310 togain more information about the security alert. The visual alertdisplays an indication that a potential alarm event has been detectedand indicates that the motion sensor 340 has been triggered and that themonitoring system is in the disarmed state.

In this example, the native mobile device monitoring application alsodisplays input controls concurrently with the alert to enable the user310 to take action or gain more information about the alert. Inparticular, the native mobile device monitoring application displays anarm input control 360, an alarm input control 370, and a video inputcontrol 380.

The arm input control 360 allows the user 310 to provide a touch inputat the arm input control 360 to cause the monitoring system to change toan armed state. In the armed state, the monitoring system sends detectedalarm events to a central monitoring station for processing.

The alarm input control 370 allows the user 310 to provide a touch inputat the alarm input control 370 to cause the monitoring system togenerate an alarm event and send the alarm event to a central monitoringstation. The alarm input control 370 is similar to a panic button, whichthe user 310 activates when the user 310 believes an alarm situation isoccurring and would like emergency services to be contacted immediately.

The video input control 380 allows the user 310 to provide a touch inputat the video input control 380 to cause the monitoring system to sendimage (e.g., video) data captured by the motion sensor 340 to the mobiledevice 320. The mobile device 320 then displays the image (e.g., video)data captured by the motion sensor 340 so that the user 310 can view thearea outside the front door of the property 305 and assess thesituation.

Although three input controls are shown in this example, many differenttypes of input controls may be displayed to assist the user 310 inhandling and assessing the potential alarm event. Also, the nativemobile device monitoring application may display a cancel input controlthat allows the user 310 to take no action in response to the potentialalarm event and return to the prior application operating on the mobiledevice 320.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the user 310 activates the arm inputcontrol 360 based on the potential alarm event. In response toactivation of the arm input control 360, the native mobile devicemonitoring application causes the mobile device 320 to send an armcommand to the security control panel 330 over the short range wirelesscommunication protocol.

At a third time 300C in the example shown in FIG. 3, the securitycontrol panel 330 receives the arm command from the mobile device 320over the short range wireless communication protocol and, in response tothe arm command, arms the monitoring system to change the monitoringsystem from the disarmed state to the armed state. The native mobiledevice monitoring application causes the mobile device 320 to display anindication that the monitoring system has been armed and that the mobiledevice 320 is resuming the interrupted music application. The nativemobile device monitoring application may cause the mobile device 320 todisplay the indication that the monitoring system has been armedimmediately after sending the arm command or may wait for a confirmationsignal from the security control panel 330 before displaying theindication that the monitoring system has been armed.

In addition, because the potential alarm event has been handled by theuser 310, the mobile device 320 resumes the music application and beginsplaying music from the point in which the music application was paused.The native mobile device monitoring application is moved to a backgroundprocess that monitors for receipt of potential alarm data. By alertingthe user 310 to the potential alarm event and allowing the user 310 toeasily take action in response to the potential alarm event, the nativemobile device monitoring application may provide the user 310 with anenhanced security experience that provides the user 310 with increasedprotection against intrusions.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example process 400 for leveraging functionalityof a mobile device in performing an operation related to a detectedevent. The system 100 detects an event related to the monitoring system(410). For instance, the system 100 may detect an alarm condition (e.g.,a security breach) at a property. The system 100 also may detect anotification event that triggers consideration of whether a notificationshould be sent based on attributes sensed at the property. The system100 further may detect requests to control the monitoring system asevents. The system 100 may detect single events (e.g., a single contactsensor trigger) or detect a series or pattern of events (e.g., a patternof contact sensor triggers, a motion sensor trigger, and an RFID tagidentification).

The system 100 determines an operation needed to handle the detectedevent (420). The system 100 may determine several different, types ofoperations for handling detected events. For example, when the system100 detects an alarm condition, the system 100 may determine that acentral monitoring station should be contacted and that one or morenotification recipients should be contacted. In another example, whenthe system 100 detects a notification event, the system 100 may identifyone or more recipients for the notification and determine that anotification should be sent to the identified one or more recipients. Ina further example, when the system 100 detects a request to control themonitoring system, the system 100 may determine whether one or morecontrol operations should be performed based on the request to controlthe monitoring system. The determined operation may leveragefunctionality of the mobile device that is separate from and differentthan the native mobile device monitoring application in performing thedetermined operation. By leveraging functionality of the mobile devicethat is separate from and different than the native mobile devicemonitoring application, the system 100 may provide a monitoring systemcontrol tool that has increased functionality and opportunities ascompared to traditional security system keypads that have limitedfunctionality and are secured to a wall of the property.

The system 100 leverages functionality, that is separate from a nativemobile device monitoring application, of a mobile device in performingthe determined operation (430). For instance, the native mobile devicemonitoring application may use any feature or functional component ofthe mobile device that may be useful in performing the determinedoperation and handling the detected event.

In some examples, the system 100 may automatically, without userintervention, use a cellular network communication module of the mobiledevice to transmit data to a monitoring application server or a centralalarm station server that dispatches emergency services in response toalarm events. In these examples, the cellular network communicationmodule of the mobile device may be the primary pathway for data to themonitoring application server or the central alarm station server or maybe used as a backup pathway when a primary pathway fails. The datatransmitted by the cellular network communication module of the mobiledevice may be alarm data that indicates an alarm event detected by amonitoring system. The data transmitted by the cellular networkcommunication module of the mobile device also may be two-way voicecommunication data that enables an operator associated with the centralalarm station server to communicate with a user associated with themonitoring system through the mobile device.

In some implementations, the system 100 may automatically, without userintervention, use an address book application, that is maintainedseparate from the native mobile device monitoring application, of themobile device to identify contact information for a recipient of anotification to be sent in response to detecting the event related tothe monitoring system. In these implementations, the system 100 may usethe address book application to select a recipient of a notification orto identify contact information for a selected recipient. In selecting arecipient of a notification, the system 100 may analyze attributes(e.g., address, relationship, etc.) stored for contacts in the addressbook application and select a contact that has appropriate attributesfor the notification.

In some examples, the system 100 may automatically, without userintervention, use a calendar application, that is maintained separatefrom the native mobile device monitoring application, of the mobiledevice to identify schedule information for a user associated with themobile device. In these examples, the system 100 may use the identifiedschedule information to inform operations performed by the native mobiledevice monitoring application. For instance, the system 100 maydetermine, based on the calendar application, that the user associatedwith the mobile device is presently in a meeting and unable to assistwith a potential alarm event. Based on this determination, the system100 may attempt to notify another person of the potential alarm eventwho will be able to assist with the potential alarm event more quicklythan the user associated with the mobile device. The system 100 also mayprovide details of the schedule information to other notificationrecipients, including emergency services personnel.

In addition, the system 100 may automatically, without userintervention, use a network browser application of the mobile device toretrieve information related to the detected event, and present, usingthe mobile device, the information retrieved by the network browserapplication. For example, when the detected event is a part malfunctionin the monitoring system, the system 100 may automatically use thenetwork browser application to load and display a website of themonitoring company that relates to the part detected as malfunctioning.In this example, the website may display information of how the part canbe fixed, options for purchasing a replacement of the part, and/orinformation to contact the monitoring company for help in fixing orreplacing the part. When the detected event is a home intrusion, thesystem 100 may automatically use the network browser application to loadand display a website of a police department that includes details forproperly reporting the home intrusion to the police.

In some implementations, the system 100 may automatically, without userintervention, use a messaging application of the mobile device to send anotification in response to detecting the event related to themonitoring system. In these implementations, the system 100 may use ashort message service (SMS) module to send an SMS message to anotification recipient. The system 100 also may use an electronic mailapplication to send an electronic mail message to a notificationrecipient.

Further, the system 100 may automatically, without user intervention,use a speaker of the mobile device to provide an audible alert relatedto the detected event. The system 100 also may use a camera of themobile device to capture one or more images and associate the one ormore images captured by the camera with the detected event. Forinstance, when a home invasion is detected, the system 100 may controlthe camera of the mobile device to capture images and then immediatelytransfer the captured images offsite as additional information to use inidentifying an intruder. This may be particularly helpful when a user ispresent at the time of the intrusion and able to point the camera of themobile device at the intruder.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of leveraging functionality of a mobiledevice in performing an operation related to a detected event. As shown,a monitoring system 510 that monitors a property detects that a glassbreak sensor has been triggered at the property. The glass break sensorsuggests that a glass window or door at the property has been broken.The monitoring system 510 also determines that a motion sensor has notdetected any motion within the property, that a window sensor detectsthe corresponding window as being closed, and that a door sensor detectsthe corresponding door as being closed.

The monitoring system 510 sends the detected sensor data (e.g., datafrom each of the glass break sensor, the motion sensor, the windowsensor, and the door sensor) to a native monitoring application 522running on a mobile device 520. The native monitoring application 522processes the received sensor data to determine whether any actions needto be taken. In this regard, the native monitoring application 522determines that a glass break event has occurred, but that it isunlikely associated with an intrusion because the motion sensor has notdetected any motion within the property, the window sensor detects thecorresponding window as being closed, and the door sensor detects thecorresponding door as being closed. Accordingly, the native monitoringapplication 522 determines that the glass break event was likely anaccidental glass break event (e.g., a neighborhood child accidentallythrowing a baseball through a glass window at the property) and handlesthe glass break event accordingly.

In handling the accidental glass break event, the native monitoringapplication 522 leverages several features of the mobile device 520 thatare separate from the native monitoring application 522. First, thenative monitoring application 522 uses a calendar application 524 on themobile device 520 to determine schedule information for the userassociated with the mobile device 520. In this example, the calendarapplication 524 reveals that the user is currently in a meeting andunable to assess the glass break event for some time.

In response to the determination that the user is currently in a meetingand unable to assess the glass break event for some time, the nativemonitoring application 522 uses an address book application 526 on themobile device 520 to determine a possible notification recipient thatmay be able to assist the user in handling the glass break event. Inthis example, the native monitoring application 522 accesses contactinformation from the address book application 526, identifies contactsin the address book labeled as friends, and compares address informationfor the identified contacts to the address of the property to determinewhether any of the friends live close to the property. Based on thecomparison, the native monitoring application 522 identifies one or moreneighbors of the user, selects the one or more neighbors as one or morenotification recipients, and accesses, from the address book application526, contact information (e.g., mobile telephone number) for the one ormore neighbors.

After identifying the one or more neighbors as one or more notificationrecipients, the native monitoring application 522 uses the accessedcontact information (e.g., mobile telephone number) to send anotification to each of the one or more notification recipients. In thisexample, the native monitoring application 522 leverages an SMS module528 of the mobile device 520 to send an SMS notification to each of theone or more notification recipients. The SMS notification asks therecipient if the recipient can assess a glass break event at the user'sproperty, indicates that no entries into the property have beendetected, and indicates that the SMS notification was automatically sentby the native monitoring application 522.

In addition, the native monitoring application 522 uses a networkbrowser 530 on the mobile device 520 to retrieve information that may beuseful to the user associated with the mobile device 520 in handling theglass break event. For instance, the native monitoring application 522may use the network browser 530 to retrieve a website that describesoptions for repairing a piece of broken glass and also retrieve businesslistings for businesses local to the user's property that repair brokenglass. The information obtained through the network browser 530 may beautomatically displayed to user to assist the user in easily handlingthe glass break event without having to search for helpful information.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example process 600 for performing an operationrelated to tracked characteristics of a mobile device that operates anative mobile device monitoring application. The system 100 trackscharacteristics of a mobile device that operates a native mobile devicemonitoring application (610). The system 100 may track any type of oneor more characteristics of a mobile device that operates a native mobiledevice monitoring application. The tracked characteristics may relate tothe ability of the mobile device to properly operate as a monitoring(e.g., security) system keypad.

For instance, the system 100 may track a battery level of the mobiledevice that operates the native mobile device monitoring application.The system 100 also may track a geographic location of the mobile devicerelative to the property monitored by the monitoring system. The system100 further may track an ability of the mobile device to communicate,using a short range wireless communication protocol, with a component ofthe monitoring system located at the property. The system 100 mayperiodically check each of the tracked characteristics and store datareflecting the tracked characteristics over time.

The system 100 analyzes the tracked characteristics with respect to aset of one or more rules (620) and determines whether to perform anoperation related to the tracked characteristics based on the analysis(630). For instance, the system 100 analyzes the tracked characteristicsto determine whether an automatic control operation or an alert relatedto the tracked characteristics is needed. The system 200 may analyzesingle tracked characteristics and take action according to singletracked characteristics. The set of one or more rules may includevarious thresholds related to the tracked characteristics that are usedto evaluate whether an action is needed.

In implementations in which the system 100 tracks a battery level of themobile device that operates the native mobile device monitoringapplication, the system 100 may compare the battery level of the mobiledevice to a battery level threshold. In these implementations, thesystem 100 determines to send an alert related to the battery level ofthe mobile device when the comparison reveals that the battery level ofthe mobile device is below the threshold. In addition, the system 100determines that no action is needed when the comparison reveals that thebattery level of the mobile device is above the threshold.

In implementations in which the system 100 tracks a geographic locationof the mobile device relative to the property monitored by themonitoring system, the system 100 may compare the geographic location ofthe mobile device to a control area defined proximate to the property.The control area may define a permissible area in which the mobiledevice may be carried and may be an area that is relatively close to themonitored property. In these implementations, the system 100 determinesto send an alert related to the geographic location of the mobile devicewhen the comparison reveals that the geographic location of the mobiledevice is outside of the control area defined proximate to the property.In addition, the system 100 determines that no action is needed when thecomparison reveals that the geographic location of the mobile device iswithin the control area defined proximate to the property.

In implementations in which the system 100 tracks an ability of themobile device to communicate, using a short range wireless communicationprotocol, with a component of the monitoring system located at theproperty, the system 100 determines whether the mobile device has theability to communicate, using the short range wireless communicationprotocol, with the component of the monitoring system located at theproperty. The system 100 may make the determination based on ageographic location of the mobile device being within a particulardistance of the component of the monitoring system located at theproperty or the system 100 may make the determination based on a signalstrength of pinging communications sent, using the short range wirelesscommunication protocol, between the mobile device and the component ofthe monitoring system located at the property.

In these implementations, the system 100 determines whether to send datafrom the component of the monitoring system located at the property tothe mobile device over a long range network-based communication protocolbased on the determination of whether the mobile device has the abilityto communicate, using the short range wireless communication protocol,with the component of the monitoring system located at the property. Forinstance, the system 100 uses the short range wireless communicationprotocol when possible and changes to the long range network-basedcommunication protocol when the mobile device is determined not to havethe ability to communicate, using the short range wireless communicationprotocol, with the component of the monitoring system located at theproperty.

The system 100 performs the operation related to the trackedcharacteristics based on a determination to perform the operation (640).The system 200 may perform several different, types of operationsrelated to the tracked characteristics. For example, the system 200 mayautomatically, without user intervention, control the mobile device or acomponent of the monitoring system based on the determination to performthe operation. In another example, the system 200 may send alerts ordisplay suggested changes to a user based on the determination toperform the operation.

For instance, the system 100 may send an alert indicating that thebattery level of the mobile device has reached a relatively low level inresponse to a determination to send the alert related to the batterylevel of the mobile device. In addition, the system 100 may send analert indicating that the geographic location of the mobile device hasmoved outside of the control area defined proximate to the property inresponse to a determination to send the alert related to the geographiclocation of the mobile device. Further, the system 100 may send datafrom the component of the monitoring system located at the property tothe mobile device over the long range network-based communicationprotocol in response to a determination that the mobile device does nothave the ability to communicate, using the short range wirelesscommunication protocol, with the component of the monitoring systemlocated at the property.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of performing an operation related totracked characteristics of a mobile device that operates a native mobiledevice monitoring application. As shown, a property 710 is monitored bya monitoring system 740. A first mobile device 720 includes a monitoringapplication and has been synchronized with the monitoring system 740 toenable the first mobile device 720 to control monitoring systemoperations at the property 710. A second mobile device 730 includes amonitoring application and has been synchronized with the monitoringsystem 740 to enable the second mobile device 730 to control monitoringsystem operations at the property 710.

The monitoring system 740 tracks characteristics of the first mobiledevice 720 and the second mobile device 730. For example, the monitoringsystem 740 tracks a battery level of the first mobile device 720 and thesecond mobile device 730 and tracks a geographic location of the firstmobile device 720 and the second mobile device 730 relative to a controlarea 750 defined proximate to the property 710. In this example, themonitoring system 740 determines that the first mobile device 720 has abattery level below a threshold, that the first mobile device 720 iswithin the control area 750, that second mobile device 730 has a batterylevel above the threshold, and that the second mobile device 730 isoutside of the control area 750. In response to these determinations,the monitoring system 740 sends an alert 760 that indicates the firstmobile device 720 has a low battery level and that the second mobiledevice 730 has moved too far from the property (e.g., is outside of thecontrol area 750). The alert 760 may be sent to the first mobile device720 and the second mobile device 730. The alert 760 also may be sent toanother communication device or medium operated by the owner of theproperty 710. For instance, the alert 760 may be sent as an electronicmail message to an electronic mail address of the owner of the property710 and/or may be sent as an SMS message to a phone number of the ownerof the property 710.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate examples of performing an operation relatedto tracked characteristics of a mobile device that operates a nativemobile device monitoring application. As shown, a property 810 ismonitored by a local monitoring system that includes a control panel820, a motion sensor 822, a camera 824, a window contact sensor 826, anda door contact sensor 828. The local monitoring system may be controlledby a mobile device 830 that operates a native monitoring application.The control panel 820 also communicates with a remote monitoringapplication server 840 over a network 850. The network 850 may besimilar to the network 105 described above with respect to FIG. 1.

In the example shown in FIG. 8A, the mobile device 830 operating thenative mobile device monitoring application is positioned within acontrol area 860 defined proximate to the property 810. Because themobile device 830 is positioned within the control area 860, the mobiledevice 830 directly communicates, over a short range wireless protocol,with the control panel 820, the motion sensor 822, the camera 824, thewindow contact sensor 826, and the door contact sensor 828. In thisexample, the mobile device 830 operating the native mobile devicemonitoring application receives all sensor data directly from thesensors and is able to directly control the control panel 820. In thisregard, the mobile device 830 directly communicates with the localmonitoring system over a local communication pathway.

In the example shown in FIG. 8B, the mobile device 830 operating thenative mobile device monitoring application has moved outside of thecontrol area 860 defined proximate to the property 810. Because themobile device 830 is positioned outside of the control area 860, themobile device 830 no longer has the ability to communicate with thecomponents of the local monitoring system over the short range wirelesscommunication protocol. As such, the native mobile device monitoringapplication or the monitoring application server 840 determines that themobile device 830 no longer has the ability to communicate with thecomponents of the local monitoring system over the short range wirelesscommunication protocol.

In response to this determination, the mobile device 830 beginscommunicating with the local monitoring system through the monitoringapplication server 840. Specifically, the motion sensor 822, the camera824, the window contact sensor 826, and the door contact sensor 828communicate directly with the control panel 820 and the control panel820 uses a network communication module to send the sensor data to themonitoring application server 840 over the network 850. The monitoringapplication server 840 then relays the sensor data to the mobile device830 over the network 850. Similarly, when the mobile device 830 wishesto control the local monitoring system, the mobile device 830 sends,over the network 850, a control command to the monitoring applicationserver 840 and the monitoring application server 840 relays the controlcommand to the control panel 820.

In the example shown in FIG. 8B, the mobile device 830 indirectlycommunicates with the local monitoring system over a remotecommunication pathway. As such, as the mobile device 830 moved out ofrange of the local monitoring system, the local communication pathwaywas automatically changed to the remote communication pathway to enablethe mobile device 830 to remain in continuous contact with the localmonitoring system.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example process 900 for resolving conflictsbetween multiple, different native mobile device monitoringapplications. The system 100 receives commands from multiple, differentnative mobile device monitoring applications that are each synchronizedwith a single monitoring system (910). For example, the system 100receives multiple commands that define control operations to beperformed by the single monitoring system. In this example, the system100 may receive the multiple commands simultaneously (or very close intime, such as within seconds) or may receive the multiple commandsspaced over a larger time period (e.g., minutes or hours apart).

The system 100 accesses permission data for the multiple, differentnative mobile device monitoring applications (920). For example, thesystem 100 may access, from electronic storage, permission data for themultiple, different native mobile device monitoring applications. Thesystem 100 also may receive permission data for the multiple, differentnative mobile device monitoring applications. The permission data maydefine priority order for the multiple, different native mobile devicemonitoring applications. The priority order may apply generally tocommands issued by the multiple, different native mobile devicemonitoring applications or may apply to specific commands or types ofcommands issued by the multiple, different native mobile devicemonitoring applications.

In some implementations, the system 100 may determine whetherconflicting commands have been received from multiple, different nativemobile device monitoring applications. In these implementations, thesystem 100 only accesses permission data in response to a determinationthat conflicting commands have been received.

The system 100 resolves conflicts between the received commands based onthe permission data (930) and performs one or more operations related tomonitoring the property based on the resolution of the conflicts (940).For instance, when conflicting commands have been received frommultiple, different native mobile device monitoring applications, thesystem 100 analyzes the conflict with respect to the permission data anddetermines how to resolve the conflict. The system 100 may determine toperform an operation based on one command from the conflicting commandsor may determine to perform an operation based on an aggregate of theconflicting commands. For instance, when one native mobile devicemonitoring application has a highest priority, the system 100 mayidentify the command received from that native mobile device monitoringapplication and perform the operation defined by the identified command.In another example, when two native mobile device monitoringapplications have the same priority, the system 100 may determine andperform a compromise command that is based on the conflicting commands,but may not exactly match any of the conflicting commands. In oneexample, the system 100 may determine a compromise command for twoconflicting commands that identify a temperature at which to set athermostat. In this example, the system 100 may determine and performthe compromise command by computing an average of the conflictingtemperatures and setting the thermostat at the average of theconflicting temperatures.

When only parts of the received commands conflict, the system 100 mayresolve only the conflicting parts of the commands. For example, thesystem 100 may identify non-conflicting parts of the commands inaddition to conflicting parts of the commands and perform allnon-conflicting parts of the commands in addition to resolving theconflicting parts of the commands.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of resolving conflicts between multiple,different native mobile device monitoring applications. As shown, a dadmobile device 1010 includes a monitoring application and has beensynchronized with the monitoring system 1030 to enable the dad mobiledevice 1010 to control monitoring system operations at a monitoredproperty. A child mobile device 1020 includes a monitoring applicationand has been synchronized with the monitoring system 1030 to enable thechild mobile device 1020 to control monitoring system operations at themonitored property.

In this example, the monitoring system 1030 receives a first commandfrom the dad mobile device 1010 and a second command from the childmobile device 1020. The monitoring system 1030 may receive the first andsecond commands simultaneously (or within seconds) or may receive thefirst command from the dad mobile device 1010 and then receive thesecond command from the child mobile device 1020 a significant timeperiod later (e.g., one hour later).

The monitoring system 1030 determines that a first control operationdefined by the first command from the dad mobile device 1010 conflictswith a second control operation defined by the second command from thechild mobile device 1020. In response to identifying the conflict, themonitoring system 1030 accesses permission data 1040 to determine how toresolve the conflict. The accessed permission data 1040 defines apriority between the dad mobile device 1010 and the child mobile device1020.

In this example, the monitoring system 1030 analyzes the accessedpermission data 1040 and determines that the dad mobile device 1010 hasa higher priority than the child mobile device 1020. Based on thedetermination that the dad mobile device 1010 has a higher priority thanthe child mobile device 1020, the monitoring system 1030 determines toresolve the conflict in favor of the dad mobile device 1010 and performthe first control operation defined by the first command. In thisregard, the monitoring system 1030 decides to perform operations 1050,which include performing the first control operation defined by thefirst command, denying the second command, and sending the child mobiledevice 1020 a notification that indicates the second command has beendenied based on the first command from the dad mobile device 1010.

The described systems, methods, and techniques may be implemented indigital electronic circuitry, computer hardware, firmware, software, orin combinations of these elements. Apparatus implementing thesetechniques may include appropriate input and output devices, a computerprocessor, and a computer program product tangibly embodied in amachine-readable storage device for execution by a programmableprocessor. A process implementing these techniques may be performed by aprogrammable processor executing a program of instructions to performdesired functions by operating on input data and generating appropriateoutput. The techniques may be implemented in one or more computerprograms that are executable on a programmable system including at leastone programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructionsfrom, and to transmit data and instructions to, a data storage system,at least one input device, and at least one output device. Each computerprogram may be implemented in a high-level procedural or object-orientedprogramming language, or in assembly or machine language if desired; andin any case, the language may be a compiled or interpreted language.Suitable processors include, by way of example, both general and specialpurpose microprocessors. Generally, a processor will receiveinstructions and data from a read-only memory and/or a random accessmemory. Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer programinstructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory,including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, such asErasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically ErasableProgrammable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), and flash memory devices;magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks;magneto-optical disks; and Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM). Anyof the foregoing may be supplemented by, or incorporated in,specially-designed ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits).

It will be understood that various modifications may be made. Forexample, in some implementations, a mobile device hosts the entiremonitoring system, including all user data, user video, and other data.In these implementations, the mobile device may act without a monitoringapplication server or another type of monitoring system control panel.The mobile device receives real time inputs from sensors at a monitoredproperty either via long range RF or local RF communications andperforms intelligent processing for the monitoring system driving alertsto all other user alert destinations and security alerts to a centralmonitoring station.

In some examples, the mobile device is authorized to perform operationrelated to the monitoring system through the use of authorizationinformation, such as tokens. In these examples, the mobile device mayreceive a time-restricted token, which allows the mobile device to berecognized by the monitoring system. One or more rules may be associatedwith the token. For instance, the token may specify a time of day(and/or a day of week or a specific date) at which the token is valid, aspecific portion of a property at which the token is valid (e.g., thetoken may be associated with a specific door at the property), and/or aspecific command that the token requires (e.g., a specific input code ora specific motion-based gesture signature that the mobile device candetect using an internal gyroscope or accelerometer). If the rulesassociated with the token are satisfied (e.g., it is the correct time ofday, the mobile device is located at the correct door, and the mobiledevice detects correct performance of a motion-based gesture signatureassigned to the token), then the system protecting the property mayallow an action associated with the system to be performed.Specifically, the system protecting the property may be disarmed orarmed, or other actions may be induced, such as an emergency alert or apanic alert.

In some implementations, the mobile device acts as a security system ina vehicle and recognizes all sensors in the vehicle. In theseimplementations, when the mobile device is in proximity of the vehicle,the mobile device directly receives and processes notices from thesensors on the vehicle. The mobile device may perform monitoring systemoperations associated with the vehicle using techniques similar to themonitoring system operations associated with a monitored propertydiscussed throughout this disclosure.

Other useful implementations could be achieved if steps of the disclosedtechniques were performed in a different order and/or if components inthe disclosed systems were combined in a different manner and/orreplaced or supplemented by other components. Accordingly, otherimplementations are within the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for monitoring a property, the systemcomprising: a monitoring system that is configured to monitor a propertyand includes one or more sensors that are installed at the property andthat are configured to sense attributes of the property; and a nativemobile device monitoring application loaded onto a mobile device that isprovided separately from the monitoring system, the native mobile devicemonitoring application including instructions that, when executed by themobile device, cause the mobile device to perform operations comprising:causing display, on a display device of the mobile device, of a controlinterface area that enables a user to provide user input to control themonitoring system; receiving user input defining a control operation forthe monitoring system based on the control interface area; based on thereceived user input, sending one or more control communications thatcause the monitoring system to perform the control operation defined bythe received user input; detecting an event related to the monitoringsystem; determining an operation needed to handle the detected event;and leveraging functionality of the mobile device in performing thedetermined operation by: automatically, without user intervention, usinga calendar application, that is maintained separate from the nativemobile device monitoring application, of the mobile device to identifyschedule information for a user associated with the mobile device,determining, based on the identified schedule information, that the userassociated with the mobile device is unable to assist with the detectedevent, and, based on the determination that the user associated with themobile device is unable to assist with the detected event, notifying adifferent person of the detected event.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein leveraging functionality of the mobile device in performing thedetermined operation comprises automatically, without user intervention,using a communication module of the mobile device to transmit data to acentral alarm station server that dispatches emergency services inresponse to alarm events.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein leveragingfunctionality of the mobile device in performing the determinedoperation comprises automatically, without user intervention, using thecommunication module of the mobile device to establish, for the user, atwo-way voice communication session related to the detected event, theuser being able to engage in the two-way voice communication sessionusing the mobile device.
 4. The system of claim 3, whereinautomatically, without user intervention, using the communication moduleof the mobile device to establish, for the user, the two-way voicecommunication session related to the detected event comprisesautomatically, without user intervention, using a cellular networkcommunication module of the mobile device to establish, for the user,the two-way voice communication session related to the detected event.5. The system of claim 1, wherein leveraging functionality of the mobiledevice in performing the determined operation comprises automatically,without user intervention, using an address book application, that ismaintained separate from the native mobile device monitoringapplication, of the mobile device to identify contact information for arecipient of a notification to be sent in response to detecting theevent related to the monitoring system.
 6. The system of claim 1,wherein leveraging functionality of the mobile device in performing thedetermined operation comprises automatically, without user intervention,using a network browser application of the mobile device to retrieveinformation related to the detected event, and presenting, using themobile device, the information retrieved by the network browserapplication.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein leveraging functionalityof the mobile device in performing the determined operation comprisesautomatically, without user intervention, using a messaging applicationof the mobile device to send a notification in response to detecting theevent related to the monitoring system.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein leveraging functionality of the mobile device in performing thedetermined operation comprises automatically, without user intervention,using a speaker of the mobile device to provide an audible alert relatedto the detected event.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein leveragingfunctionality of the mobile device in performing the determinedoperation comprises using a camera of the mobile device to capture oneor more images and associating the one or more images captured by thecamera with the detected event.
 10. A method for monitoring a property,the method comprising: causing display, on a display device of a mobiledevice that has loaded a native mobile device monitoring applicationthat is provided separately from a monitoring system that is configuredto monitor a property and includes one or more sensors that areinstalled at the property and that are configured to sense attributes ofthe property, of a control interface area that enables a user to provideuser input to control the monitoring system; receiving user inputdefining a control operation for the monitoring system based on thecontrol interface area; based on the received user input, sending one ormore control communications that cause the monitoring system to performthe control operation defined by the received user input; detecting anevent related to the monitoring system; determining an operation neededto handle the detected event; and leveraging functionality of the mobiledevice in performing the determined operation by: automatically, withoutuser intervention, using a calendar application, that is maintainedseparate from the native mobile device monitoring application, of themobile device to identify schedule information for a user associatedwith the mobile device, determining, based on the identified scheduleinformation, that the user associated with the mobile device is unableto assist with the detected event, and, based on the determination thatthe user associated with the mobile device is unable to assist with thedetected event, notifying a different person of the detected event. 11.The method of claim 10, wherein leveraging functionality of the mobiledevice in performing the determined operation comprises automatically,without user intervention, using a communication module of the mobiledevice to transmit data to a central alarm station server thatdispatches emergency services in response to alarm events.
 12. Themethod of claim 10, wherein leveraging functionality of the mobiledevice in performing the determined operation comprises automatically,without user intervention, using the communication module of the mobiledevice to establish, for the user, a two-way voice communication sessionrelated to the detected event, the user being able to engage in thetwo-way voice communication session using the mobile device.
 13. Themethod of claim 10, wherein leveraging functionality of the mobiledevice in performing the determined operation comprises automatically,without user intervention, using an address book application, that ismaintained separate from the native mobile device monitoringapplication, of the mobile device to identify contact information for arecipient of a notification to be sent in response to detecting theevent related to the monitoring system.
 14. The method of claim 10,wherein leveraging functionality of the mobile device in performing thedetermined operation comprises automatically, without user intervention,using a network browser application of the mobile device to retrieveinformation related to the detected event, and presenting, using themobile device, the information retrieved by the network browserapplication.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein leveragingfunctionality of the mobile device in performing the determinedoperation comprises automatically, without user intervention, using amessaging application of the mobile device to send a notification inresponse to detecting the event related to the monitoring system. 16.The method of claim 10, wherein leveraging functionality of the mobiledevice in performing the determined operation comprises automatically,without user intervention, using a speaker of the mobile device toprovide an audible alert related to the detected event.
 17. The methodof claim 10, wherein leveraging functionality of the mobile device inperforming the determined operation comprises using a camera of themobile device to capture one or more images and associating the one ormore images captured by the camera with the detected event.
 18. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein leveraging functionality of the mobile devicein performing the determined operation comprises causing the mobiledevice to vibrate based on the detected event.
 19. The system of claim1, wherein leveraging functionality of the mobile device in performingthe determined operation comprises providing details of the identifiedschedule information of the user to the different person notified of thedetected event.
 20. The system of claim 1, wherein leveragingfunctionality of the mobile device in performing the determinedoperation comprises providing details of the identified scheduleinformation of the user to emergency services personnel.